Just a Human Slave
by GIR's Infernal Waffles
Summary: He was a gift from the Tallest: "A Defective Slave for a Defective Invader." Dark! ZaDe/ZaDr AU
1. Defective Orphans

**(A/N) I've been promising you guys this fic for how long? xD Well, here it is. It'll be relatively short, 3-4 chapters. It is AU. **

**Be warned: there be ZaDr ahead. ZADR. And ZaDe. Be warned. I really wanted to try a balance between ZaDe and ZaDr for this one, and it's been a lot of fun thus far. It might seem like the switch between the two seems abrupt, but I did that on purpose. And it won't be a total flip until... well, you'll hopefully know. Also keep in mind, please, that Zim is very impulsive and doesn't often think things through.  
**

**Also, this is a relatively dark fic. Please don't read it if you aren't prepared for that. **

**I'll also be posting the first chapter of Repression and Succession in a few days, so if this isn't exactly your thing, don't fret. That'll also be a more major, longer project.  
**

**I do not own Zim or Dib or anything Invader Zim related. **

The Irken invader leaned back, spine arching over the mound of cushions he was nestled in. His lazy gaze combed the ceiling, searching uselessly for something, for _anything _of interest, and inevitably his eyes closed in a huge yawn, his segmented tongue unfurling as he did so. His shoulders popped as he stretched, and he thought idly about how quickly his muscles grew cold with inactivity.

"GIR!" he called loudly, breaking the silence. "I demand amusement!"

"Yes, my master!" the obedient SIR unit cried, then shot out of the room in search of such amusement. The Irken boy sighed heavily, looking after him with regret-filled eyes. Even GIR was different now, locked into duty-mode; he obeyed his master's every command. And even though he didn't have the motivation or energy to object, the invader missed his defective little companion's craziness.

Sighing again, the Irken let his head hang to the side so that he could gaze out the window. There was Earth, the once-vibrantly colored planet now painted a brownish-grey, the Organic Sweep having been completed. There were only a few earthlings left in the galaxies- a handful of big cats, wolves and other impressive earth species in various zoos, some plants in labs and botanical space stations, and a few germs in petri dishes. As for the humans, fewer than one hundred had been saved, deemed both intelligent and esthetically pleasing enough to serve as Irken slaves.

It was the Irken boy's conquest, that dusty planet. Yet he could not bring himself to feel a spark of pride- indeed, somewhere in his heart-equivalent, he mourned for it. He had never liked Earth, but perhaps there had been a few things worth preserving. It was certainly more interesting than sitting around waiting for orders from the Tallest, with little to ease his boredom save for his own thoughts. And his own thoughts led him in dangerous directions, whispering that, while he may not have liked Earth, perhaps he liked Irk even less.

"Sir!"

Glancing up, the alien was surprised to see GIR standing in the doorway, holding a chain. And, even more surprising, a human stood at the end of this chain. The Irken's antennae raised with mild intrigue.

"A gift from the Tallest, Sir!"

Slowly sitting up, the invader glanced briefly at his SIR unit. "… Very good, GIR; leave us, now."

"Okie-dokie!" The familiar phrase in the forging, duty-mode voice made the Irken wince. The chain fell with a clang and door shut silently, leaving the conqueror and the conquered abruptly alone to gaze at one another.

The human was emaciated and scuffed up- used and worn. He wore no shirt and the rough, sackcloth pants typical of slaves, as well as the heavy metal collar. Familiar with the structure of such things, the Irken knew that the chain dripped down his back and attached to shackles on his wrists. Though it was hidden from view, the alien could see the weight of the metal in the way the boy stood.

"Never seen a human before, alien scum?"

The Irken jumped; he hadn't expected the boy to speak. "F-foolish earth-stink!" he spluttered, realizing that he had actually been leaning very far forward during his inspection. "I'm the one who conquered your _filthy _stink-planet! I've seen far too many of you pigs!"

The human snorted, turning his face away. "You're an invader? Sorry, I mistook you for some soft little noble _slug,_ curled up there in your cushions."

"Fool!" the Irken cried, surging up with a spray of said cushions. "I am _Zim_, the greatest invader Irk has ever _known_!"

The human smirked, suddenly and improbably morphing into sadism personified. "The message I have from the Tallest is suddenly hilarious."

Zim's antennae shot up. "My Tallest? _You _carry a message from _my Tallest_?"

The human's smile twisted further. "I'm a gift from them, remember?"

"Tell me this message, tell me now!" the Irken demanded, and the slave only continued to smile. Then, slowly, he turned around.

_A DEFECTIVE SLAVE_

_FOR A_

_DEFECTIVE INVADER_

The words were carved with lurid definition into the human's bony back, etched into not only the skin but the muscle beneath. Each letter was a deep, indelible mark in the meager flesh, colored an angry, dull red that betrayed its relative freshness. Zim jerked and then staggered back, shocked.

"Th-they mock Zim…!" he gasped, then shrieked, "They're laughing at Zim! I conquered Earth! They cannot laugh at _me_, not at _Zim_!"

"I don't know; you seem pretty easy to laugh at," the slave said with a dark chuckle, turning back with a rattling of chains. He stumbled abruptly though, almost falling to his knees as he staggered further into the room. Zim snorted.

"You're too weak to mock me, human," he spat, kicking a pillow crossly and sending it careening into the wall. Then he flopped back down on what remained of his perch, legs crossed and arms folded. "Now provide Zim with some means of entertainment, as you were intended to."

The human scowled, but shuffled forward with hunched shoulders. "Would the mighty invader mind unchaining me before he demands such things?"

Zim raised his eyebrows cautiously but nodded. "Ah yes. The human can provide little entertainment while shackled." Rising again and moving forward, he reached for the slave but flinched away- an instinctual reaction to the creature's emaciated state and the raw patches of skin where the bonds wore at his flesh. He quickly shook off his discomfort, though, none-too-gently removing the handcuffs but leaving the collar and chain in place.

The human boy rubbed at his wrists for a moment, glancing almost gratefully at his master before he caught himself. Looking sharply away, he scowled.

"What do you want from me, _master_?" he asked scathingly, and Zim smiled assuredly.

"Entertain Zim," he urged, then waved his hand invitingly. "Go on, little worm baby. Do something to entertain Zim."

"Entertain you, entertain you…" the boy muttered, tipping his head to the side. "What would entertain a hideous space monster- a jerk, no less…?"

"Enough with the insults!" the invader snapped. "They cease to amuse Zim."

The human scowled. "They aren't meant to entertain you, you scum!" he retorted, and then returned to his musings. At last he snapped his fingers. "I've got just the thing!"

Zim cocked his head, antennae lifting, as the slave began to pace.

"Yes, yes…" the boy murmured, looking pleased. "I know what'll entertain someone like you! What'll liven up your undoubtedly _intolerably _boring life."

"Yes, yes?" Zim asked eagerly, leaning forward. "Entertain Zim, human."

Toying with the chain, the human looked thoughtful. "Well… I suppose I could show you, _almighty _Invader Zim… because I'm sure you'll appreciate it."

In a startling flash- shocking for one in such a condition, the boy had slipped behind his new so-called-master, chain in hand, and wrapped his leash around the Irken's thin neck. Instantly Zim was fighting, but it seemed inadequate- the human had not only the upper hand of surprise, but he had chosen his positioning perfectly.

The Irken gagged softly, clawing desperately at the chain wrapped tightly around his throat. His PAK exploded with movement as his spider legs sprang to his defense, but the human had situated himself such that he was unreachable. All Zim could do was strike him with the dull ends of the metal limbs, which did precious little to inhibit the vengeful human.

Bracing his legs against the ground, Zim threw himself against the wall, making the slave groan softly. A short moan punctuated the second impact with the wall, and the weakened boy's grip loosened. One last hit sent him staggering back, chain slipping from his grip as his knees buckled.

Zim was gasping, one hand on his neck and the other on the wall. As soon as he had the breath to, he rounded on the human, but paused suddenly.

The slave had more than fallen- he had crumpled, panting raggedly and clutching his sides. Blood dripped from his gaping mouth, his skeletal form trembling; he didn't even look up at the object of his attack.

"Will you die?"

Zim's question made the human's head snap up, and Zim himself was quick to hide his concern with a hastily constructed mask of contempt.

"I mean, I knew humans were feeble," he said, attempting a flippant tone, "but I didn't think they were so easily…" He trailed off under the pressure of the human's gaze, and swallowed.

"I won't die, you scum," the human rasped, and then surrendered, thudding softly onto his side. "I won't die until… if I'm dying, going wherever the hell the dead go, you're coming with me, spaceboy."

Gazing down at the sleeping human, Invader Zim felt an odd fluttering in his squeedly spootch. The slave looked tiny, curled where he had lost consciousness as much as fallen asleep, having crawled onto the bed that Zim himself seldom used. Blinking once, slowly, the Irken spread a blanket over the pitiful creature.

"Does the human child wish to know the meaning of the Tallests' message?" he whispered, brushing a strand of dirty black hair from the slave's face. "It is because Zim is a Defective. And Zim is Defective... because he loves what you stand for."

A hand shot suddenly from beneath the blanket, electricity crackling up Zim's arm as his wrist was grabbed. And in that instant, the human's wide, chocolate eyes were locked on him- filled and overflowing with hatred and pain and desperate longing.

"What is that supposed to mean, you stupid space monster?" he asked, but his voice cracked on the last word.

Without a word- acting on some deep-seated desire, without any rational basis, the Irken leaned down and pressed his lips to the slave's, feeling the boy, chill with neglect, stiffen beneath him. But he did not surrender, pushing in harder until the human was flat on his back and then, somehow... miraculously...

... kissing him back.

With a desperate groan, the slave surged up and latched onto his conqueror and master, parting his lips to grant the Irken's tongue entrance. Zim, undeniably pleased by this reception, leaned in even farther, clamoring onto the bed itself and lavishing the slave with the attention he had been denied since the destruction of his world and even before then.

The kiss only deepened- even then, the two bodies strained to become one, even as the human ran painfully short of breath and Zim felt his PAK overheat with the glut of sensation. Then the Irken stiffened, forced back by a hand locked tightly round his neck, his head growing light sudden with lack of blood flow. The slave stared up at him with limpid eyes and an unreadable expression.

"What the hell, Zim?"

The Irken invader chuckled, despite the position he was in. "That is how humans show affection, yes? What is your name, slave?"

"Dib. And yes, it is. But why the hell would you do that?" the boy demanded, tightening his grip; Zim did not attempt to free himself.

"Because Zim has a great amount of affection for you, orphan of Earth," he said simply.

Dib didn't respond, and so Zim gently twisted his head free; took a deep, shuddering breath. And then he lowered himself gently, eyes never leaving the thin slave.

"May Zim lie beside the Diblet, without imminent threat to his life?"

The human snorted. "No guarantees," he grumbled, yet made no move to stop the Irken as his body was was pulled close to Zim's chest- the Irken did not lie still until they were, as humans would say, spooning. The alien was aware of Dib's shivering slowly quieting, and felt his PAK hum softly as it compensated for the additional loss of heat.

"I long for days past," the invader confessed softly, without moving. "As unthinkable as it is, I believe that Zim has made a heinous error. I even miss the stench of you earth monkeys."

"And why the hell are you telling me this?" Dib retorted, though he didn't move, either.

"So that you may understand Zim's inexcusably Defective behavior," the other replied flippantly. "I do not wish to he misconstrued."

"How could this be misconstrued?"

"In many ways."

The two of them lay still, for a moment- the Irken even held his breath, for his species allowed him to with minimal effects. But then he let it out, slowly, leaning forward so that his face was buried in the slave's hair, course with his poor health. He could feel the Tallest's cruelty etched into the boy's back, pressed against him.

"I am grateful that they gave you to me, although I am sorry for what they did to you."

Dib scoffed, although a bit of his ire seemed to have faded. "I don't believe you."

"And why not?" Zim demanded indignantly.

"Because you're an Irken."

"That is no reason, human."

"What more do you want?"

"By your logic, I should think you inferior simply because you are a human."

"You _do _think I'm inferior."

"Yes, but for more reasons than that you are human."

Dib laughed- laughed honestly, if quietly. "Shut up. You're confusing as hell."

"So Zim has been told."

The supposed invader was vaguely aware, after that, of the supposed slave's slow descent into an easy sleep, his breathing growing deep and regular. But, as Irkens did not sleep, Zim found himself trapped in an unearthly stillness- paralyzed, listening to the human breath and wondering what may have happened, perhaps, had he met the creature before he had had the Earth destroyed.

**(A/N) Chapter 2 soon. Now I must log off, for, though I feel no tiredness, my eyes have gone wonky for want of sleep. **

**Reviews mean the world to me. Please review, and I'll tell you the title of the next chapter. **

**IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, PLEASE SUPPORT THE INVADERCON III KICKSTARTER! Let's work together to bring about FINAL DOOM! **


	2. Broken Unity

**(A/N) Chapter 2, guys! Remember what I said about a balance between ZaDe and ZaDr? Yep, more of that this time around. ;) And plot! Actual plot! Hope you guys enjoy. ^_^ **

**So... three out of the four reviews I got were "unsigned-" not that I mind that, I love reviews in any form. :) But I can't give unsigned reviewers hints/previews, and subsequently forgot to give them at all. So I apologize. : **

**With that said, a thousand and one thanks to "a fanfictioner," Greath, "Guest," and "Jazzy!" Thanks especially to Jazzy, your review meant a lot to me. ^/^ **

**I do not own Invader Zim or any of the character portrayed here. **

Zim was startled from his contemplative half-sleep by a sharp stab of pain in his belly, followed shortly by a rush of chilled air and a hot surge of thick blue liquid welling at his skin. Back arching reflexively, he became quickly aware of the human's sudden absence- the cause of the chill -and the improvised knife in his abdomen- the cause of the heat.

"I don't know what the _hell _you were talking about last night, Zim," the slave spat, as his master groaned softly with the unexpected pain, "but that's for kissing me like that. You had no right, and I don't want it happening again!"

With a soft Irken curse, the invader tried to rise, but found himself sprawled suddenly on his back as the human kicked him, knocking the blade in deeper. A combination of the wound and drowsiness kept the Irken down for a heartbeat longer, and in a disoriented way he reached for the thick sliver of metal- a piece of the bedpost, he now realized. With a sick sucking sound, he pulled it from his flesh, drawing out with it a wild gushing of azure blood, odd green fluids, and bits of organ. His PAK was beeping wildly, flashing and buzzing and humming and chirping as it tried to close the gaping hole in it's host's flesh, but Zim himself seemed relatively unconcerned.

"Why did you not slit Zim's throat?"

Dib started, then wavered visibly, taking a step backwards. "What are you saying?" he growled darkly.

"It would have been just as easy to slit my throat as to stab me," the Irken elaborated, sounding far too flippant to be discussing his own death.

"Maybe I wanted you to die slowly," the human hissed, taking another step backwards. "Bleed out and _suffer_."

Zim laughed softly, although the action brought blood bubbling to his lips. "Irkens do not die so easily. I know that the Dib knows this. The Dib never intended to kill Zim."

Dib scowled furiously, bearing his teeth. "Jerk!"

Dabbing awkwardly at the hole in his abdomen, Zim hissed softly. "That was quite painful, human," he muttered reproachfully. "How did you manage to improvise such a blade? Zim was conscious for the duration of the night."

The slave shrugged, then shuffled his feet. "Slowly. Very slowly."

"Clever and dexterous, are you...?" Zim mused. "A superior specimen of your race."

"Stop with the flattery, you moronic green alien- I don't even know what the hell you think you're doing." Dib laughed suddenly, then choked on it. "Hell, I can't make heads or tails of you! You are one messed up Irken, my friend, one thoroughly screwed up, incompetent invader."

Zim winced. "Do not torment Zim simply for his Defective musings," he growled, antennae flattening. "I could have you killed in a second."

"Something tells me you won't," the slave grumbled.

"And what is this something?" the Irken squawked.

"Last night."

Flushing powder blue, Zim jerked back. "You're lying!"

Dib's eyebrows shot up. "What are you even talking about?"

"This was all part of my... ehh... Zim's plan, yes, my _ingenious _plan!"

"No it wasn't."

"Yes, yes it was! And I have succeeded! Ha! Victory for Zim! Victory for Almighty Invader Zim!"

"... Almighty invader, I think your organs are escaping."

In the commotion, Zim had indeed forgotten about the gaping hole in his midsection. And mostly because of his activity and disregard for the wound, his squeedlyspootch had indeed decided to abandon him. His PAK had blocked the pain. He was scarcely aware of Dib's sardonic laughter as his head grew hellishly light and, quite disconcertingly, the world spun away into darkness.

"You Irkens really are incredible, aren't you?"

Zim blinked, disoriented, then finally managed to focus his gaze on the human sitting on the bed beside him. The boy seemed to be speaking half to himself, staring down at his blue-smeared hands.

"All I had to do was push your intestines back inside, and your body just started to heal," the slave continued to muse aloud. "I wish humans recovered like that."

Zim struggled up into a half-sitting position, leaning up on his elbows. "Why would you have aided Zim's recovery?" he asked critically, but the human didn't look at him.

"If you died, I'd just be reassigned. And I've had worse owners than you- hard as that is to believe."

"But we are enemies, yes?"

"Of course we're enemies, you moron."

Zim furrowed his brow. "And yet... you allowed Zim, last night, to kiss you."

"A mistake," the human grumbled, turning away.

"Such nonsense you speak!" the Irken scoffed, sitting up farther and wincing at a pang from his injured midsection. But he scooted closer to the other- and Dib did not move away. With a quick movement, just as impulsive and poorly planned as before, the invader ducked in for a kiss; this time, however, the human slapped him away, the sound of the hit echoing slightly before it faded.

"I won't let you do it again." The human's voice was dangerous- a warning that Zim did not heed.

"You will," he asserted, "because the Dib longs for touch. And Zim will touch him."

"Touch yourself," Dib retorted, then blushed vaguely and hastily added, "I don't need anyone."

"Yet it is not the same as being touched by another," Zim quipped, oblivious to the innuendo, and grasped the boy's shoulders before he could flinch away; then, pinning the weakened boy beneath him.

With a spat curse, Dib bucked against him and kicked up, landing a painful blow to the Irken's injured stomach. Zim winced, but didn't draw back even as blue blood trickled down and dripped onto the boy beneath him.

"If you tell Zim you do not miss Earth, I will never touch you again," he said. Dib stiffened, a mask of rage slipping into place.

"What the hell do you have to do with Earth, Zim?" he snarled. "You _destroyed _Earth!"

"And I mourn for her," the Defective replied. "I am not at home here- I did not like Earth, but I have found that I like the prospect of returning to Irk even less."

Dib wrenched his gaze away, lip drawing back in an animalistic way. "I don't believe you."

"The Dib is all that is left to Zim, of his would-be home," the Irken continued confidently, as if the human had not spoken. "Even GIR... nothing remains for Zim. The Tallest... my Tallest will not allow me another planet, and no one waits for Zim on Irk." He laughed shortly, bitterly. "An Irken," he scoffed, "longing for the company of another. The very thing is unheard of; the very thing is Defective."

The human turned his head; hesitantly and warily looked at his master's face, though the Irken himself had turned slightly to the side. And he saw, reflected in those ruby orbs, the most bitter disillusionment imaginable- so much acidic cynicism that it was a wonder it hadn't already dissolved what was left of the Irken's soul.

"Betrayed..." the alien whispered, bending farther over his slave but still not looking at him. "Deceived. My life... wasted." Then he snapped his head around, baring down on the human with sudden ferocity. "I can see it your _eyes_, Zim can! I can see that you take nothing for granted, that you have been alone since before you were _born_! I can see that not a living soul has ever cared for you! I can see it because Zim is such a creature, as well- such a pitiable, _loathable _creature, pathetic in his lonesomeness! You are like Zim, and I will accept no other answer!"

The boy- feeling tears well in his eyes, feeling his soul cry out to be close to this strange being who could read him so well -thrust himself away. "You know _nothing_," he spat, but his voice broke on the last word. He choked- a dam burst, the flood of emotion unstoppable, now, after that tiny crack. Face twisting with a sob, he looked away. "You don't know _anything!_" he screamed, but then fell silent.

The alien studied him for a moment, as he cried- dry eyed himself, but fancying the human, in that instant, a mirror.

"Zim knows."

"Well _damn_," the human swore, and then bit his lip. Expression fluctuating wildly, from twisted grin to desperate sob and back again, and then into some display of masochistic angst, he reached up and grabbed at Zim's uniform. "You've got it all figured out, don't you... you _jerk_." He spat out the last work was like venom. "Now what the hell are you going to do?"

"... Those without anywhere to go- anywhere to return to -must cling to one another."

Cursing again, Dib shook his head. "So what? You're suggesting we're suddenly... not mortal enemies? Just because of your Defective emotions and my troubled childhood? Surely not."

"Of course we are enemies, Dib," the Irken replied with a sad smirk. "You will always hate Zim- I draw comfort from that fact." And without waiting for a response, he leaned in and pressed their lips together- almost tenderly, but with too much violence in the act to qualify it as such.

"Mff!" the human objected suddenly, shoving at his assaulter. Managing to wriggle free for a split second, he gasped out, "Get off me! Get...!" There were leftover tears in his eyes, and then he had given in once again, surging up and embracing his captor with all the desperate passion of one so starving for attention of any sort.

A knock at the door made Zim jump, clapping his hand over the human's mouth in place of his tongue. "Silence!"

Dib gave a small murmur of assent, and shrunk back as Zim clamored off him and subsequently off the bed, creeping to the door. The air was charged with a sense of taboo, and the small Irken invader leaned up on his toes to press his antennae to the door.

"We know you're in there, Zim!"

With a startled exclamation, Zim stumbled backwards. "My Tallest!"

"'The Tallest?!'" Dib repeated, panic flaring in his eyes, but again Zim shushed him.

"We have done nothing wrong," the Irken muttered defensively. "The Dib-thing is Zim's slave, given to him by the same Tallest. Do not worry, humanling." And with those reassurances, he opened the door. "Greetings, my Tallest!"

"Greetings... Zim," Red replied, seeming to glance at the invader for scarcely a breath before peering past him. "We're here to discuss that slave of yours."

Zim went rigid- heard Dib shift somewhere behind him and placed himself more deliberately in the center of the doorway. "What about Zim's human?" he asked, his voice a challenge.

The sudden change in demeanor- Zim had always been one of their most loyal Irkens, for all his Defectiveness -made the Tallest exchange glances.

"Well..." Tallest Purple began, his eyes round and apologetic, "we need it."

Zim's invisible eyebrows arched. "You... need him?" There was that scuffling again, barely audible behind him, that made Zim square his shoulders and plant his feet more firmly, as though he would bar the way.

The change in posture was not lost on the Tallest; Purple shifted self-consciously, though Red didn't flinch.

"Yes Zim. That human is more valuable than we initially thought, and we require it now as a test subject."

Zim saw suddenly, in his mind's eye, the cold metal room that he had wandered into as a wayward smeet skipping his classes. At the time it had fascinated him- the rows of metal cages, filled with alien creatures and even a few Irkens, the floor dyed rainbow with a vibrant array of blood; the whimpering and moans that saturated the air, the gaping holes in soft flesh, the controlled decay, the chemical burns, the ragged pelts and torn hair, the missing limbs and empty eye sockets that still dripped crystalline tears... it had all filled him with a wondering curiosity, a childish fascination and an awe for what his species was capable of.

Suddenly, with those images raw in his mind, Invader Zim felt physically ill.

"You will not have him!" he shrieked suddenly at the Tallest, although his voice broke on the last word. "I will not surrender my Dib-thing to such horrors as you would subject him to!"

"Zi-" Red began uselessly, but the Defective Irken was shaking his head furiously.

"You gave the Dib-thing to Zim," he growled darkly. "You _will _not take him back!"

"We're your Tallest, Zim," Red said, his voice low and dangerous "We'll do what we want with your slave... and with you."

"No! You're lying!" In the face of their shock, Zim slammed the door in his leaders' faces, spinning and dashing back to Dib. The small human was peering at him, fear and hostile confusion swirling in his brown eyes.

"Come with Zim," the Irken whispered, aware of the Tallest beginning to tap in the override code on his door.

Dib rose unquestioningly, but then stalled. "Why should I trust you?" he growled, although his eyes kept flicking back to the door.

"Because you have no choice, fool!" Zim snapped, grabbing his wrist and yanking the human forcefully toward him.

"I won't!" the slave retorted, trying to pull free and failing; the Irken hauled him bodily across the room, though the human kicked and fought all the way, and at last reached his goal: the air vent.

"I will not let you _die_!" Zim snarled in the boy's ear, then lifted him effortlessly over one shoulder and rose up on spindly metal limbs. He fumbled clumsily with the grate, for a moment, huffing and growling his annoyance, but at last wrenched it back and heaved the human up into the resulting opening. He himself followed a moment, one hand firmly over his stomach, and pulled the vent back into place just as the door to his room burst open.

"Get moving!" the invader spat harshly at the human who, terrified, was peering down at the Tallest as they began to search the room. It was then that Dib noticed the blood seeping through his master's fingers, thick and hot- numb with fear and caught between two very unsavory choices, he swallowed and obeyed. Spider limbs retracting smoothly, the Irken crawled around Dib and took the lead, guiding the human deep into the Massive's infrastructure.

The metal was hot under the human's calloused hands by the time Zim paused, antennae perked. Then he motioned to an offshoot of the main system, and Dib felt cool air rush in from the vents that were suddenly all around them. _We're in the chiller's pipelines..._

"We will rest here," Zim announced in a whisper, blood leaking from his mouth, and Dib, with a moan of exhaustion, crumpled beside him. Without warning, however, the Irken pulled his slave into his lap.

Holding the frail human to his chest, Invader Zim felt a surge of protectiveness, the likes of which he had thought he was incapable of experiencing. Burying his face in the rough black hair, he drew in the scent of his companion- suddenly the only creature in any universe who mattered.

"Zim...?"

His voice was uncertain- despite the front he kept up, that flawless steel mask -he was scared; terrified of death.

"Yes, my Dib-thing. I will not let them harm you."

"Zim, they're your Tallest."

Now there was accusation in his voice- accusation that made Zim wince and hold his slave tighter. But Dib pushed him away, hands to the Irken's chest, forcing Zim to look at him at arm's length.

"Zim, you would betray your Tallest for me? I don't believe that."

"Believe Zim," the Irken urged, without any sign of hesitation- he tried to crush the boy back to his chest, but the human was surprisingly strong and held him at bay, forcing him to continue. "I will not surrender my Dib, to the Tallest or anyone else. And if Zim wishes you to be safe, you will be safe, I promise."

It took a long moment but, at last, Dib nodded; allowing his arms to relax, he let Zim hold him close; pressed his face into the Irken's chest. The Invader's delicate fingers found the deep divots on his slaves back and traced them lovingly, making the other shiver beneath his touch.

"Zim... why the hell do I trust you so much...? It doesn't make any sense."

"Because we must be together, my dear Diblet," the Invader answered without hesitation. "We two orphans of Earth- we must be together, whether as enemies or as lovers.

"Zim will not surrender you just as you would not surrender Zim."

**(A/N) One chapter left! … I think. :P **

**Please review if you liked- if you didn't, don't hesitate to leave constructive criticism (constructive being the optimum word, flames will be used to roast marshmallows). It would mean the world to me. ;v; **


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